Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-01-10
THE NEW RAILROAD.
Interesting Facts Regarding the Extension TO
Pt Pleasant.
PRESENT AND FUTURE OF THE LINE.
The First Train Everywhere Accorded a
Regal Reception.
COUNTRY TRAVERSED, AND PEOPLE.
From the Sunday REGISTER.

distance OF ~ Miles, Is nov III OOihPi0'O
working order and yesterday morning the
first through passenger train left this city
! for the lower end of the line. The new
road cannot but become prime favorite
with the travelling public, for several rea-
sons. One of the chief grounds upon
which this belief is based is the fact that
the road is one of the best constructed lines
ever laid down in the United States,
and another is because the officials and
attaches of the Company, from Presi-
dent to section boss, are. uni
formly courteous, obliging, ever careful of
the interests of the public and quick to
anticipate and crafty every reasonable
wish. The road is especially unique in
the courtesy and gentlemanliness of its
conductors. In charming contrast with
tho naughty mien and forbidding aspect
of the average railroad conductor, the
gentlemen in charge of the Ohio River
trains are happy combination of all the
good traits which should enter into the
makeup of the executive officer having
supervision over the rolling stock set aside
| for the transportation of the public, and
the average traveller will be surprised and
gratifed at the attention which Is con-
ferred npon him and the ciyility accorded
| him.
Although the road was first thrown open
to the public yester lay, a representative
of the REGISTER was allowed to make the
trip from Parkersburg TO Point Pleasant
| Friday, on the occasion of the tour of in
spectiOn made by the officers of the COM
pany prior to the Inauguration of business,
and the writer proposes, in hurried and
necessarily somewhat abbreviated manner,
TO set forth the sights he saw, and the i'm
presSiOns he received while on the jour-
ney.
THE START
At 7:l5 o'clock Friday morning, engine
No. II, bran new piece OF machinery,
drew up at the platform in front of the
COmpany's depot in Parkersburg. At
tached TO the engine were a combination
baggage and smoking car, a handsome new
coach, and fat car loaded with tool
boxes for the section bosses. Notwith-
standing the early hour, it being hardly
daylight, there was quite crowd in wait
ing at the depot, made up of officers OF the
road, invited guests, and number of pas
sencers who hoped to be allowed to reach
their homes down the river without the
delay of laying over until Saturday.
The train was in charge of
Conductor Patrick, with Conductor
Bradford on the engine in the capacity of
pilot, Engineer Charles L. Byers ut the
throttle, and Fireman Ingram in the cab
with him. The officers OF the road willingly
extended permission to the waiting paSsen- |
gers to 90 aboard, and while they dis |
posed Ofthemselyes in the smoker, forward, |
the private car was entered by President |
George w. Thompson, Chief Engineer j. |
4. Fickenger, Assistant Superintendent G.. |
l.. Williams; w. L. Robinson, General |
Master of Road; w. L. Daily, Master |
Mechanic; w. III. Faye, representing the
Adams Express Company; j. LeDuc, a |
prominent railroad contractor, of Cleve-
land, the REGISTER scribe, and one or two
personal friends of the officers, making up
a very pleasant party.
Atlas the signal to start was given, and |
the train left the foot Of Third street and |
backed up the river to point a hundred |
yards uOrth of the B. & o. bridge which |
spans the Ohio, when the train was switched |
to the new track and began to climb the |
long grade of 81 feet to the mile leading to |
the bridge viaduct Third street was again
crossed at an elevation of p feet above the |
depot platform, and still the ascent Was |
continued, the track bending to the east |
in a graceful curve until the level of the |
bridge was reached at Second and Ann |
streets, and the train ran upon the magnii- |
Gently constructed viaduct, forty feet above |
the sidewalk. At the corner Of Second and |
Ann streets the site of the new elevated |
passenger station was passed, and after run
ming about the distance Ofa city block the |
train ran out upon the bridge which spans
the Little Kanawha, its height being 65
feet above the water.
THE BRIDGE.
This bridge is Pratt truss, in three
spans, the north one of S. feet, the channel |
span of 300 feet and the south span of 90 |
feet. 1t was constructed by the Phoenix
Bridge Company, Of Pittsburgh, and,
together with the viaduct and approach, is
q handsome and costly piece Of work. The
bridge approach is 1850 feet long, and |
contains 19l,OOO feet of stuff, board
measure The iron of the viaduct weighs
42l, 400 pounds. while the bridge proper
weighs SO9, 800 pounds. Besides this
enormous weight of metal, the bridge
contains 10, $50 feet of piling, II, 900 feet
of foundation timber, 3, 100 cubic yards of
masonry, and 3O4 cubic yards of concrete.
The work on the bridge began about the
first of last May, and the last bolts were
put in place Thursday afternoon, when
the structure was tried by running two
engines, weighing together 40 tons, and
seventeen loaded freight cars upon it,
making n load, exclusive of the engines, of
one ton per hneal foot With this inn
mense weight the bridge showed dehec-
ton of but one and one-third inches.
The special train ran safely over the
structure, the occupants of the car enjoy
ing the fine view of Parkersburg and the
Ohio shore, spread out before them, and
then, while the engine ran smoothly to-
ward the grade TO Washington Bottom,
President Thompson narrated the follow
ing facts concerning the construction of the
extension, and the future plans of the Com
pany:
THE ROAD.
The contracts for the construction of the
PIT. Pleasant division were let on the 10th |
of last March, aud work upon the road be-
gan about the LIST of April. The road bed
was rapidly prepared, and early in August
track-laying began at the Point Pleasant
end of the line. The rails were from the
mills of Carnegie, Phipps & Co., at Home
stead, Pa, and the last spike was driven
about the first Of the new year.
The Company had previously made con-
tracts for new rolling stock, and is Tow |
receiving six new engines from the Brooke
Locomotive Works, Dunkirk, n. Y; three
new baggage cars, $50 gondolas, 100 box
cars and so stock cars, from Pennick
Bros, Minerva, o., and ten new passenger
coaches from the WasOn Manufacturing
Company, Springfield, Mass. The Com
pany's telegraph line is completed to
within eight miles of Parkersburg, and
will be in operation within It's next
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